To Alice with love
by Alicia Mirza
Summary: "When I was young... those times were different, my sweetheart. I was betrothed to your grandfather when I was born. Those were difficult times, the only person you could fall in love was the one who was named as your fiancé before you reached the age of one." An Alice/Frank one-shot written for Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Competition and Camp Potter: A Challenge.


_To Alice with love_

The black-haired young woman looked down and sighed. A traitor tear escaped her dark blue eyes which she wiped away angrily. She didn't hear the door when it opened, nor did she notice the old woman who entered the small room. The grey-headed woman stopped in front of the younger one and grabbed the chair she found and sat down on the old wooden seating.

"Alice, sweetheart. What is your problem?" the old, but elegant woman asked. The black-haired woman around seventeen-eighteen didn't answer her.

"It's Frank," she said eventually after the old woman, her maternal grandmother fixed her penetrating light blue eyes on her.

"What did that Longbottom boy do again?" Amelia Burke née Greengrass asked her granddaughter who frowned.

"He doesn't even seem to realize that I'm alive, Gramma," the young girl said seriously and her grandmother smiled at her.

"How would he not notice a beauty, like you, sweetie?" she asked, but her granddaughter knew that she didn't wait for her answer.

"Gramma, was there ever someone besides Grandpa for you? Were you in love with someone before you married him?" Alice asked softly and fixed her stormy dark blue eyes on the older woman she loved. For a moment her grandmother didn't look at Alice but then her eyes met her grandchild's.

"I was, my child. Why do you ask?" Amelia looked at Alice who seemed thoughtful. For a moment she hesitated with the answer.

"I'm in love with Frank... But... But maybe, he isn't the one for me," she said eventually. Her grandmother had a small sad smile on her face and a knowing look.

"Oh, Aly, I was young at that time and naive. I was a bit younger than you; I was in my sixth year in Hogwarts. I was a pure-blood in Slytherin, loyal to my family, but I was never the really snake material. I had friends from various Houses, I didn't care who was sorted in which house and well, I didn't really care at that time about blood status," her grandmother told Alice who raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean that you didn't care about blood states _at that time_?" she asked a bit angrily. She knew well that her grandmother came from a proud pure-blood family; she knew that she was sorted in Slytherin, but she always thought that she didn't care about things like most pure-bloods.

"When I was young... those times were different, my sweetheart. I was betrothed to your grandfather when I was born. Those were difficult times, the only person you could fall in love was the one who was named as your fiancé before you reached the age of one," her grandmother told Alice who for the first time thought that maybe her grandparents' marriage wasn't as perfect as she always thought.

"You always told me that you loved my grandfather," Alice said and she turned to her grandmother who nodded.

"I did and I will always love him. There are many types of love, sweetie. I loved Emil, of course I did. He was just never my first love," the elderly lady said to her granddaughter who nodded.

"So... who was your first love?" Alice asked curiously and fixed her dark eyes on her grandmother.

"As I said, we were both young. It was the Quidditch final at Hogwarts, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. Gryffindor won and they got the Cup. It also meant that Slytherin was going to win the House Cup and Ravenclaw was only going to be the second. There was a very big party, or at least what you would call at that time party. At that night Adam Evans asked me out and I said yes," Amelia said with a sad smile.

"Evans... The only Evans I know in the wizarding world is Lily, but she is a muggleborn," Alice stated suspiciously and slightly surprised. He grandmother nodded in agreement.

"He was a muggleborn, he was a Gryffindor and if I'm right he is your friend's grandfather," she stated simply but her voice seemed remote. Alice didn't even know how to respond.

"So... Lily actually has a wizard grandfather?" she asked curiously.

"Adam died many years ago. He hasn't even met his grandchildren I think," Alice's grandmother answered her and the black-haired girl nodded. It made sense that way, probably Lily didn't even know about her grandfather being a Muggleborn wizard.

"Tell me what happened after the Quidditch match," she asked sweetly and she looked pleadingly at her grandmother.

"We were in love, Aly, just like two youngling would be. It was a secret love, I didn't tell my parents about it. Not even my best friends knew about it. It was just him and me," Amelia said with a fond smile and Alice noticed that her grandmother seemed a lot younger than she usually did.

"How did you end up with Grandpa Emil then?" Alice asked her grandmother as she was again six instead of seventeen. Amelia flashed her smile, but the teenager noticed that her smile was a bit forced.

"You never know who your true friend is, my dear. I made a mistake and I trusted someone I shouldn't. Her name was Violet Parkinson; I thought she was my best friend. I was sweetie. It was the beginning of our seventh year. Adam and I were chosen as Head Students so we could spend as much time together as we wanted. I was very happy back then, Aly. It was a true teenage romance. My true friends didn't even know what was happening to me, I still remember Regan Sylvestre was asking me all day if I was drinking Love Potion. Or Anna Murata, a half-blood who I shouldn't even befriend. She was a sarcastic and very stubborn girl, who I didn't learn to love in time. She saw through me and even when she asked me I didn't tell her the truth. The only person I truly trusted was Violet, which was pretty funny as I didn't even let Adam tell her younger sister, Selene. He didn't tell her, he trusted me even if it hurt him to lie to his sister," her grandmother told Alice whose blue eyes were big.

"Wait, you are telling me that not only your ex is my best friend's grandfather who was a wizard, but he had sister who was a witch too?" Alice wasn't sure she heard it well. She always thought that Lily had no wizarding relationships and now, it seemed her whole family was made up from witches and wizards.

"Actually, Selene was Adam's half-sister. After Adam's father died he married a witch. However, sweetie this isn't very important for the story. The essential part of the story is that Violet betrayed me; her first task was to write a letter to my parents, who were not very happy by my choice." Alice saw a tear in the edge of those light blue eyes she knew so well. Her grandmother was crying.

"We couldn't be together and it was very hard for both of us. He wanted to run away with me, but I was a proud Slytherin who cared too much about what people, especially my family would say. I didn't want to be the disappointment. I said no to him. Both of us were miserable, it was like reading Romeo and Juliet, we loved each other, but we couldn't be together because of our family," Amelia said softly and Alice nodded.

"You were in the same class as my granddad, weren't you?" Alice asked and her grandmother nodded, but she wasn't smiling.

"Yes, but at that time your grandfather was no more than a selfish pure-blood. He was dating another pure-blood called Ali Oswald. He didn't really care about me," she said a bit bitterly and Alice wasn't sure why. Because he didn't care about her or because she had to eventually marry him?

"What happened after graduation, Gramma?" Alice asked softly, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. She never knew that her grandmother only married her grandfather because she was forced to. Maybe she was childish, but she was sure that they loved each other and they married each other out of pure love (instead of pure blood).

"They were dangerous times, Aly. Both the Wizarding, both the Muggle world was in war. It wasn't time to run away with a boy. It was a very difficult thing to do, at that time I was sure I wasn't doing the right thing, but I married your grandfather," she said way too simply for Alice who didn't understand it.

"That's all? You married my grandfather because the World was in war?" she asked in disbelief. He grandmother looked at her with pity in her light blue eyes.

"War is brewing again, my sweetheart. You will learn it in no time life is completely different when you don't know if you will be alive in a few hours," the elderly lady stated but Alice was stubborn.

"What about Adam? What about Ali Oswald?" Alice asked with crossed arms.

"As you know, Adam eventually married a Muggle. He forgot about me, I guess after a few years. Ali Oswald and your grandfather broke up as she found another pure-blood boy she got together with. Actually she even married him if I'm right," Alice's Gramma told her but she was still frowning.

"You know that I was waiting for some big ending with quite a few twists," she said and her grandmother chuckled.

"This isn't a fairytale, sweetie. This is real life," she said and Alice nodded slowly.

"Still, your story with grandpa isn't the most romantic one, I have ever heard," Alice said stubbornly and her grandmother flashed her somewhat sad smile.

"When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better. When I married him, I wasn't in love with him. However, things got better and both of us changed a lot. We eventually even fell in love. I loved your grandfather, sweetie," her grandmother told Alice who nodded slowly.

"Did you meet Adam after the Graduation?" the black-haired girl asked curiously.

"I did." Amelia nodded and her granddaughter looked at her curiously. She stood up and disappeared for a minute. Alice stayed there and muttered to herself," Something tells me you're going to be suck down there for awhile, Alice."

She wasn't actually right as in no time her grandmother was back with a small wooden box in her hand. She sat down on the chair again and gave the box to Alice.

"It was 1930; both Adam and I were already married. We accidentally met on a Muggle street. We talked, nothing happened really between us, but it seemed that it was enough for Adam. He started writing to love letters to me. He told me he still loved me and that he wanted to run away with me. He told me that he waited for me for years, but he couldn't wait anymore. He didn't care that we were both married, he was still a reckless Gryffindor." Her grandmother sighed. Alice curiously looked at the box. It was a beautiful carved mahogany wooden box. _A__A_ stood on the middle of the top of it. When Alice opened it, it was full of letters and what caught Alice's breathe was a ring in the corner of the box.

"He asked you to marry him," it wasn't a question, Alice stated it.

"Yes, in our seventh year, before Violet betrayed us," her grandmother said.

"You didn't mention it," the young girl said huffishly.

"We were just too naive teenager," her grandmother dismissed her.

"You loved him," Alice said stubbornly.

"I did, but too many things have changed. By the time he wanted me back, I already loved your grandfather. When the first time he asked to run away with him, I nearly did, the second time... the thought didn't even cross my mind," Gramma said eventually. Alice stood up from the ground and stepped in front of her grandmother. She hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Gramma," she said.

"For what, Aly?" her grandmother asked. "I had a loving husband, beautiful children and incredibly sweet grandchildren. I had a good life," she said simply and Alice nodded.

"Have you ever thought what would have happened if you ran away with Lily's grandfather?" Alice asked curiously.

"Your friend and you wouldn't exist."That was the only answer Alice received. She understood, her grandmother has thought about it, probably at least a million times, she just didn't want to know that answer.

"It was very difficult to marry your grandfather at that time, but now I know I did the right thing," her grandmother said Alice who looked curiously at her.

"How would you know that?" she asked and her grandmother smiled mysteriously at her.

"I got a beautiful and loving family," Amelia answered and Alice smiled at her grandma.

Manny years later while helping Neville to move out Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger found a small wooden box.

"What is this, Neville?" Ginny showed the young man the box who frowned.

"I don't know, Gin. You can do whatever you would like with it," he said simply and Ginny was close to getting rid of it, when Hermione grabbed it.

"Wait! Look at that." She pointed at the _A__A_ on the top of the box.

"If I was a sappy girl, now would be the time to start cooing," Ginny stated when she opened the box and folded the first letter. She showed it to Hermione who frowned.

"Neville, who is Amelia and Adam?" Hermione turned to the confused boy.

"I have no idea," he answered. He wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by a very enthusiastic Ginny.

"Neville, you must see this!" she said and she shoved a letter to the boy who didn't understand anything at the moment. However, when she noticed the names on the paper he smiled.

_Dear Alice,_

_I'm sorry for being so distant with you. It was just hard to around you; I wasn't sure how to tell you that I like you more than a friend. You know how clumsy I'm when it comes to girls, especially to you._

_I hope you will forgive me._

_Love,_

_Frank_

"Thank you, Ginny," Neville said to the red-haired girl who smiled softly at him.

"It seems that your mother put her love letters to this box, which if I'm right belonged to her mother or grandmother," Hermione said fussily and Neville smiled.

"I think it belonged to her grandmother," he said eventually.

He grabbed the box and folded out every letter, reading them each. For the rest of the afternoon, he wasn't packing. He was learning more about her great-grandmother, Amelia and her mother. He loved to read those letters.

His mother and his father loved each other.

**This one-shot was written for: **

**Camp Potter: A Challenge: Day one - Archery - mandatory, red**

**Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Challenge/Competition - Transfiguration, Art**

**Transfiguration:**

Mandatory prompt:_Write about something that is difficult to do. It can be anything from telling someone something to someone overcoming fear. The possibilities are endless. - _"It was a very difficult thing to do, at that time I was sure I wasn't doing the right thing, but I married your grandfather," she said way too simply for Alice who didn't understand it.

Words: _Dangerous_

Action: _A character must hug another character_

Quote: _When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better._

Era:_Tom Riddle Era_

Year: _1930_

Pairing: _Ginny/Hermione - not romantic_

Major Character: _Alice Longbottom_

Genre: _Angst_

Sentence: _Something tells me you're going to be suck down there for awhile._

Event: _Major Quidditch match_

**Art: **blue


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